Pages

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

I got to check out the August Stash Builder Box!

In the interest of full disclosure, this box was provided to me at no charge. However, my comments and opinions of the product and contents are my own.

You may have seen my post on Instagram about the August 2016 Stash Builder Box (SBB) that I was given the chance to check out, so I wanted to give you more details about it.

Before I get into the contents, Stash Builder Box is a subscription service that sends a box out every month filled with sewing/quilting related goodies. They offer plans for month to month all the way up through annual plans, so there are a lot of different options. You can read about the options here.

If you like the specific box that I am featuring, you need to sign up on their site before August 14, 2016 at 9pm MST.

With that said, let's dive into this!

The included goodies in the August SBB!

My love of Aurifil thread is well documented. I use the 50 weight thread for a variety of applications including quilt piecing, making smaller items (pouches, etc), quilting, hand piecing (the small amount of it that I do), and binding. In addition to it being my favorite cotton thread, the spool included in this box is GREY - one of my favorite colors. The spool included in my box was color 1246 (appropriately named Grey). It's a nice medium-dark grey that will blend in well with a lot of my projects.

There is also a 10 pack of Neon Green Wonder Clips by Clover. I use Wonder Clips for so many things. I use them in place of pins when I'm sewing with leather, vinyl, or other materials that pins may irreparably damage. They are also great for holding my quilt or bag binding in place while I'm hand finishing it. Have you ever bent a pin trying to pin through a lot of layers or through heavy fabrics like canvas? I have bent more pins than I want to even think about. Wonder Clips are great for keeping bulky items together.

In the way of fabric, this month's box includes 3 fat quarters from Dear Stella's Junebug collection. I loved this collection the first time I saw it. Two of the prints are specific to Junebug and the 3rd is a Dear Stella Basic from their Net collection. I've used Net in quite a few projects, and it's one of my favorite basics. I really like how the team at Stash Builder Box gives its followers a chance to vote for the fabrics that will be included in the box. One of my favorite prints wasn't in final selection, but one of the ones for which I voted did make the cut (the turquoise Demi Circles). It's a great idea to get those of us involved that are "playing at home."

One of my favorite sayings as it relates to a variety of projects is "measure twice, cut once." Though I sometimes find myself in the measure twice, cut once, curse and repeat group, it's something that I try to really be diligent about following. Accuracy is key for a lot of the projects that I do. The pencil included with this month's box really resonates with me.

There are a pair of patterns inside the box. The first is the Bundle Buster quilt pattern from Quilting Jetgirl (I follow her on Instagram) to make a fat quarter friendly quilt that finishes at 60" x 80". That's pretty similar in size to most of the quilts that I make, so it's right up my alley. I have a bunch of FQ bundles that are begging to be sewn into something cool, so this pattern in on my to make list. There's also a pattern for the stash block of the month.

Finally, the box includes a card that features a quote on one side (this month has a quote from Henry James) and a list of the box's included items on the reverse. Whoever said that something can't be functional AND pretty at the same time!

In addition to all of the lovely items included in the box, the thing that I really like the most is knowing that one of the missions of the box is to give back. You can read more about it on the Heart Builders page (SBB does cycle through different organizations so I don't want to get into too much detail). There are so many groups that are in need, and I think it's a great way to have a positive impact in the life of somebody else.

So, that's about it from me. I want to take the opportunity to say thanks to Amanda from Stash Builder Box for sending me a box to check out. Again, I want to remind you that the opinions stated here, for better or worse in some cases, are my honest opinions. I'm highly opinionated and quite unwilling to sacrifice my own integrity or beliefs just to get stuff. I won't do it. It's not who I am.